Governor Daniels plays risky game of truce or dare

In his reasonable tone and well-tailored suit, likely Republican presidential candidate Mitch Daniels suggested a truce on social issues. He admonished and rebuked, reminding us that money—dear stupid children—matters more than life, and power is to be esteemed and protected more than right and wrong. More than anything, his truce was delivered to gain him votes and accolades of moderation from those who consider themselves fiscally conservative and socially liberal. In a fog of national debt, there are many votes to be had, and all it takes is a slick politician with enough good sense to label themselves as a pocket book protector.

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Yet, since calling for a ceasefire on the abortion issue, Daniels has had trouble defining what a truce looks like, jeopardizing not only his pro-life credentials but his status as an effective politician as well. When asked if he would support the Mexico City policy banning U.S. family planning funds to be directed to international organizations that promote or perform abortions in foreign countries, Governor Daniels at first responded, “I don’t know.” When that blew up in his face, he said he would but refused to renounce his ill-conceived treaty notion: “If there were a WMD attack, death would come to straights and gays, pro-life and pro-choice…If the country goes broke, it would ruin the American dream for everyone,” Daniels said.

Dear Governor, each day in this country, abortion denies the American dream to 3,300 people. If these children were to have a voice, do you think they would say, “It’s okay, we’re not that important anyway”, or maybe they would echo the words of Thomas Paine, “But what are salt, sugar, and finery to the inestimable blessings of liberty and safety?”

Truth be told, bad policies, debt, and overspending can cause a great amount of human suffering—as many in our nation can attest. Life is precious, and it is our job to protect, uphold, and love our fellow man. But, for too long, abortion has been labeled an “issue, “something reasonable people decide in private and hysterical people argue about publicly. Yet, to the casualties of abortion, this procedure is not a political “issue” unworthy of our and Governor Daniels’ attention; it is in fact their death sentence without jury or trial, without any vote or discussion on whether or not they should be allowed to live.

The good news is that concerned Americans don’t have to listen to what Governor Daniels tells us our voting parameters should be. We get to decide who we vote for, why we vote for them and why we care to vote at all. Pro-life Americans have the right and obligation to actively oppose the nomination of a Justice who fights to keep abortion legal and who does not understand that interpreting the law does not include creating the law, or what the definition of posterity is.

Those who understand they can never and will never justify one dollar they earn going to fund the killing of an innocent child must continue to fight against any public monies funding abortions. Those who know how much these young women and children need our help need to open up their hearts and find powerful ways to give them hope for a new life. And those who know that in a free country that derives its power from the consent of the governed, our vote is our voice. We recognize the responsibility we have to speak our hearts, our beliefs, and our values with every ballot. Together, we choose what drives and compels us and we never, ever have to bow to an elected official who tells us that we are supposed to seek a truce with men and value money instead of daring to be called a fool and value what honors God.

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Katie Reid is a pro-life activist and author of “When the Bough Breaks: Abortion and the Rest of Us”